One killed, four injured in Vadodara chemical factory fire

VADODARA - A worker was killed and four others sustained burn injuries when a massive fire engulfed a chemical factory here on Monday morning.

The fire began at 5 a.m. at the KDAC Chem Private Limited located in the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), a prominent industrial zone housing several factories and refineries.

While many of them escaped as soon as the fire broke, several still remained trapped in the unit.

A search operation was later launched to find out the missing and surviving workers.

Around half a dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot to extinguish the flames and to prevent the inferno from spreading to the nearby units.

“Today morning around 5 or 5:30 the Vadodara Fire Brigade received a call that an explosion has been heard in KDAC Company located in industrial estate that has caused a massive fire,” said H J Tapariya, Chief Fire Officer, Vadodara Municipal Corporation.

“After receiving the message we brought foam tenders from the big industrial units nearby like Indian Petrochemicals Corporation (IPCL), GSFL refinery and Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL), and even sent 3-4 fire tenders from Vadodara as well,” he added.

The company is engaged in manufacture of industrial solvents like hydrogen peroxide, a highly inflammable substance.

Tapariya stated that several water tankers and foam was used to curb the fire.

The fire fighters fought for nearly four hours to bring the situation under control.

“The situation is under control. We have successfully prevented the fire from spreading to nearby units. We will conduct a search operation with the help of the company people as the locals have informed that one or two employees are still trapped inside. To overcome those fears we will conduct a search operation,” said Tapariya. By Gayatri (ANI)